Geofabric & Erosion Control Installation SWMS
Geofabric and erosion control fabric installation covers sediment fence, silt curtain, and geotextile install for civil and landscaping projects, manual handling of rolls, anchor pinning, and seam overlap requirements.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Geofabric installation covers the installation of geofabric and geotextiles — laying geotextile fabric, geogrid and erosion-control fabric on formations, batters and in drainage as part of civil and road works. The defining hazards are the manual handling of the heavy fabric rolls, the work on formations and batters, any powered mobile plant placing the fabric, and the cutting knives. This document is written on the basis that geofabric installation is carried out with the manual-handling, terrain, plant and knife controls in place.
Geofabric installation is carried out as construction work in connection with the construction requirements, with the heavy fabric rolls handled safely, the work on formations and batters managed, any powered mobile plant placing the fabric operated safely, and the cutting knives used safely. Where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work. The manual handling, the terrain, the plant, and the knives are the considerations. This document coordinates the manual-handling, terrain, plant and knife controls so the geofabric installation is carried out safely.
Hazards identified
9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Musculoskeletal and crush injury handling the heavy fabric rolls
Slips, trips and falls working on formations and batters
Crush and run-over from plant placing the fabric
Lacerations from the cutting knives and tools
Musculoskeletal injury from awkward postures
Crush from pedestrian and plant interaction
Injury from wind affecting the fabric during laying
Slips, trips and falls on uneven and unstable ground
Hazards working in or near drainage and excavation
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering: use mechanical aids — excavators, cranes, pipe layers and lifting equipment — and team lifting for the heavy pipes, barriers, panels, rolls and materials, and manage the manual-handling and awkward-posture hazard with the hierarchy of controls for hazardous manual tasks.
- 2Administrative: manage the work on formations and batters, and on uneven and unstable ground, with safe access and footing.
- 3Engineering: use the road and civil plant — pavers, rollers, profilers, graders, rigs and trucks — safely to the plant requirements and the manufacturer's instructions, with guarding, pre-operational checks, competent operators and the plant maintained.
- 4Administrative: use the cutting knives and tools safely with cut-resistant gloves and safe technique.
- 5Administrative: manage the awkward postures laying the fabric, and the wind affecting the fabric.
- 6Engineering: separate pedestrians and powered mobile plant with designated routes, exclusion zones, spotters and a traffic management plan, because pedestrian and plant interaction is a leading cause of serious injury on civil sites.
- 7Administrative: where working in or near drainage and excavation, apply the excavation and trench controls.
- 8Administrative: where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, prepare a SWMS for the high risk construction work before it commences.
- 9Administrative: all workers must hold a valid White Card (General Construction Induction Training, CPCCWHS1001), with the plant tickets, traffic control accreditation, confined space, and other competencies required for the work.
- 10Administrative: conduct a pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, the traffic and plant movements, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
- 11Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
- 12PPE: high-visibility clothing to AS/NZS 4602.1, eye protection, hearing protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
- 13Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.
- 14Administrative: confirm the work is completed safely, the excavation, plant and area are left in a safe condition, and the site is secured.
Applicable Codes of Practice
The general construction work duties for the civil road work, including the SWMS and principal contractor duties.
The control of the manual handling and awkward postures of the work, including pipes, barriers and materials.
Controls for the road and civil plant, rigs, rollers and pavers used in the work, including guarding and safe operation.
The risk management process and hierarchy of controls applied to the hazards of the work.
The controls for the excavation and trenching, including ground support, services and access.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
The work is carried out in an area in which there is movement of powered mobile plant, which is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences.
This is civil construction work that, in the circumstances described, is high risk construction work — involving in an area at a workplace in which there is movement of powered mobile plant — so a SWMS must be prepared before the work commences, kept readily accessible, reviewed as necessary, and given to the principal contractor if one is appointed. The work is carried out in connection with the relevant construction, excavation, traffic, plant and other requirements, with the controls for the specific hazards applied. A failure in this work can cause a fatal trench collapse, traffic, plant, fall, gas or other serious injury, and breaches of the relevant legislation and the primary duty of care under the model WHS Act are actively enforced, with offence categories running from failure-to-comply through to reckless conduct, and the most serious breaches carrying imprisonment for individuals. Body-corporate maxima are substantial and indexed; the current maximum follows the prevailing schedule of the responsible regulator.
Who this is for
- →Crews installing geofabric and geotextiles.
- →Civil, drainage and erosion-control contractors.
- →Civil and road construction businesses.
- →PCBUs requiring geofabric installation.
- →PCBU safety managers and supervisors coordinating the manual-handling, terrain and plant controls.
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) fully compatible with Microsoft Word 2016 and newer, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- ✓Title page with editable fields for PCBU name, ABN, site or project address, work description, principal contractor details, and document revision date.
- ✓Hazard register with the geofabric installation hazards — each with a documented consequence, inherent risk rating on a 5x5 likelihood-consequence matrix, hierarchy-of-control measures, and residual risk rating.
- ✓Geofabric prompts referencing the construction and hazardous manual tasks Codes of Practice, a manual-handling section, a terrain section, and a plant and knife record.
- ✓Licensing and competency prompts for the plant, traffic control, confined space and other work, and a plant pre-operational and inspection checklist where relevant.
- ✓Worker consultation record per the model WHS Act consultation duty and a worker sign-on register (blank, expandable).
- ✓Applicable legislation and Codes of Practice schedule pre-populated for the model WHS jurisdiction with a state-variance reference table covering the harmonised states, plus Victoria.
- ✓Emergency procedure template and a revision log.
Worked example
A crew is engaged to install geofabric on a formation and batters. The heavy fabric rolls are handled with mechanical aids and team lifting. The work on formations and batters, and on uneven and unstable ground, is managed with safe access and footing. Any powered mobile plant placing the fabric is operated safely. The cutting knives and tools are used safely with cut-resistant gloves and safe technique. The awkward postures laying the fabric, and the wind affecting the fabric, are managed. Pedestrians and the plant are separated. Where working in or near drainage and excavation, the excavation and trench controls are applied. Where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, a SWMS is prepared for the high risk construction work. The geofabric is installed, and the records retained.
Related legislation
- Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — the construction work, excavation, plant, traffic, confined spaces and falls provisions, and the Section 291 high risk construction work and SWMS duties, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
- The construction work, excavation work, confined spaces and falls Codes of Practice, the traffic management guidance, and the relevant standards such as AS 5100 for bridges and AS 4678 for retaining structures, are called up by the relevant safety legislation for the civil road work.
- Essential services information is obtained through Before You Dig Australia for underground assets and the Look Up and Live information for overhead assets before excavating; plant operation, traffic control and confined space work require the relevant licences, accreditations and competencies.
- Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the construction, excavation, plant and high risk construction work provisions applying in place of the model instruments.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main hazard installing geofabric?
The hazards are the manual handling of the heavy fabric rolls, the work on formations and batters, any powered mobile plant placing the fabric, and the cutting knives. These are managed with the manual-handling, terrain, plant and knife controls.
Is geofabric installation high risk construction work?
Where the work is in an area of powered mobile plant movement, it is high risk construction work requiring a SWMS before the work commences, and where it is in or near a trench deeper than 1.5 metres the trench controls and SWMS also apply. Geofabric installation triggers the powered-mobile-plant high risk construction work category where plant is present.
What is the manual-handling hazard?
The geofabric rolls are heavy and present a manual-handling and crush hazard, so they are handled with mechanical aids and team lifting, and the awkward postures managed. Managing the manual handling of the heavy rolls controls the musculoskeletal hazard of geofabric installation.
What is geofabric used for?
Geofabric and geotextiles are laid on formations, batters and in drainage for separation, reinforcement, filtration and erosion control as part of civil and road works. It is installed with the manual-handling, terrain, plant and knife controls.
Who installs geofabric?
Geofabric installation is carried out by competent crews in connection with the construction requirements, with the manual-handling, terrain, plant and knife controls, and a SWMS for the high risk construction work where plant is present. The geofabric is installed with the manual handling, terrain and plant managed.